Spatiospectral properties of goldfish retinal ganglion cells.

1. Responses of single ganglion cells from isolated goldfish retinas were recorded during presentation of various spatial and spectral stimuli. Each cell was classified along several spatial [spatial summation class, spatial contrast sensitivity function (CSF), and response to contrast] and spectral (Red-ON, Red-OFF or Red-ON/OFF, and spectral opponency/nonopponency) dimensions. 2. Linearity of spatial summation was determined from responses to contrast-reversal sinusoidal gratings positioned at various locations across the receptive field of the cell. CSFs were derived from responses to sinusoidal gratings of various spatial frequencies and contrasts, drifting across the cell's receptive field at a rate of 4 Hz. Response to contrast was determined from responses to variations in contrast of a sinusoidal grating of optimal spatial frequency. Spectral classifications were based on responses to monochromatic stimuli presented separately to the center and surround portions of the receptive field. 3. Linearity of spatial summation (X-, Y-, and W-like) was independent of the cell's spectral properties; for example, an X-like cell could be classified as either a Red-ON, Red-OFF, or Red-ON/OFF center cell and as spectrally opponent or nonopponent. 4. There were differences in response to contrast across spectral categories. Red-OFF center cells were very sensitive to contrast compared with Red-ON center cells. Spectrally nonopponent cells were more responsive to contrast than spectrally opponent cells. 5. There were dramatic differences across the spectral categories in relative sensitivity to low spatial frequency stimuli; however, the spatial resolution (i.e., sensitivity to high spatial frequencies) of each spectral classification appeared to be similar.(ABSTRACT TRUNCATED AT 250 WORDS)